the surprising flakes. >> it's great. just got back from the uk so it's lovely. >> it's not so bad to drive but is really surprising. yesterday i was at the beach actually in south carolina and now it's snowing. so it's a big surprise. >> a big surprise indeed. take a look down here. you can see a little bit coming here but a lot of folks say this is a good reminder to prepare for the snow. in fact, we saw some people at gas stations filling up because they told me they were concerned about tomorrow morning's commute. i'll have another live update at 6:00. live here in arlington, shomari stone, back to you. >> way to clean off that fire truck. >> no problem. >> good for you. >> is this it? we go to storm center 4 now with doug for more on the winter weather which seems to have dumped a little more snow on us than expected, doug. >> big time. we were looking at this over the last couple days. we even talked about it last week a little bit. i was thinking this would stay a little further down to the

south. it really wouldn't be that big of a deal. but it has been snowing consistently now for a number of hours. if this had been during some really cold air, remember, saturday was 68 degrees. if it had been cold we'd be talking about a nice little snowstorm here but it has been on the warm side. that's why we're not seeing the problems on the road. we're still seeing that snow making its way across the area, even moderate to heavy snow reported around portions of northern virginia and southern portions of maryland. you can see here we'll go ahead and stop it for you and put it on sensitive mode. the areas in yellow around waldorf, southern fauquier county, culpepper area, places along ift 95 and through northern virginia this is moderate to heavy snow right now most of this not sticking on the roads but there are going to be some secondary roads that are starting to see that snow begin to at least put a little bit of a coating out there. you want to make sure you take a lot of extra time here. you can see as i mentioned most of the snow is now in deep from west to east. 34 degrees, winds out of the

south 5 miles per hour. i'll come back and let you know when this is going to end plus what's next in the forecast. we have an even bigger storm making its way our way right now. >> all right. thanks, doug. a young man shot and killed apparently over a pair of sneakers. it happened yesterday morning on foot street in northeast washington. news 4's pat collins talked to the victim's family. he is live at homicide headquarters in southwest. pat? >> reporter: it was a robbery that led to gunfire and ended in a case of murder. but it was all about the shoes. this is a nike rookie basketball shoe. these shoes are very popular. they cost about $200 a pair. for david robinson, the price was much higher. it cost him his life. this story first revealed last night by the mayor speaking at

an anti-gun violence rally. >> and the circumstances are not only tragic. they are incredibly disquieting. >> reporter: the victim david robinson, 19 years old. his family said he had a job at home depot and had a girlfriend. he had a baby on the way. >> i would rather have them beat him up and take the shoes rather than kill him. then you have to shoot him two or three times in the back? it was just uncalled for. >> reporter: david robinson lives in northwest. saturday night he and a cousin were visiting friends in far northeast around 2:30 sunday morning he and his cousin were waiting in a bus stop to go home. some men in an suv pulled up. one of them steals the nike shoes. shots are fired and david robinson ends up dead. in addition, police say shots were fired at the getaway car as well. >> you found a gun near the scene? >> that's correct. >> you believe that gun may have been used to fire at the car?

>> that's a possibility that we're checking into. >> could the gunshots have come from the victim or somebody else? >> at this time, they could have come from either one of those possibilities. >> reporter: they've cleaned up the crime scene tape but it's not going to be that easy to erase the memory of what happened here at 58th and foote streets northeast. >> to rob people for their tennis shoes, get a job and work and get stuff on your own. >> i think it's a real sad thing to do. >> people today don't have no regard for life. they just -- it's sad. >> police tonight are looking for the getaway car. they say it is a gray or silver small suv. they believe there are bullet holes in it. there is a $25,000 reward in this case. pat, back to you. >> all right. pat collins, thank you. in d.c. there is an armed robbery spree in northwest. three robberies over the course

of ten minutes beginning at 6:30 last night. they happened on warren street. and on porter street there in cleveland park. and on 39th street in friendship heights. police say a hand gun was shown in at least one of the incidents. no one was injured. and a trash fire caused some tense moments at the state department this morning. firefighters called to the building at 23rd and c streets northwest just before 7:00 finding smoke coming from the roof. the fire was put out quickly. no major damage to the building. five people were treated for smoke inhalation and one person was taken to the hospital. the 11th street bridge in washington, drivers need to pay close attention to signs because traffic patterns have changed. d dot opened the second phase of the project over the weekend. it allows commuters to connect directly to i-295 from the southeast/southwest freeway without having to merge. the inbound bridge opened last month. later this year d dot will open a third part of bridge for local

traffic that will also include pathways for pedestrians and bicycles. the 11th street bridge project is the largest that d dot has ever undertaken costing some $300 million. well, after three days of near silence, d.c. mayor vincent gray said today he was personally outraged by the felony crimes of former council member harry thomas jr. thomas pleaded guilty in federal court friday and is awaiting his sentencing. >> but the muted response from some city leaders drew criticism itself. news 4's tom sherwood is here with more on that part of the story. thomas took money intended for children's programs. they are the victims in this case and some people are asking where is the outrage? at the wilson building monday, thomas's former office was locked up tight. his name was removed. even the building directory showed no sign of him or ward faude. he left federal court friday a convicted felon for stealing more than $350,000 in city funds

intended for youth organizations and tax evasion. he'll be sentenced in may to as much as four years in prison. mayor vincent gray, who for months had urged citizens to await the judicial process did call for thomas to resign but declined comment on his crimes. news 4 monday first showed gray the 21-page court document detailing thomas's many thefts from children's programs. >> i think we're now trying to figure out how we move on from this. >> are you personally outraged? >> yes. >> knowing him and his whole family? >> i know tommy. i know his family well and i have a lot of compassion for them in this situation. but at the same time, this is something that never should have happened. >> reporter: thomas is the first council member to resign under a legal cloud since home rule began in 1975. some leaders say personal relationships with thomas's family muted their criticism at first but they are offended. >> for any public official to steal money is just outrageous beyond the pale and he deserves

whatever prison time he gets as does any other elected official who falls into that category. >> i had an opportunity to read the 21-page document over the weekend again and it's something that is absolutely positively wrong wnchts "the washington post" columnist noted the muted criticism monday and called on every council member to resign. >> well that is not going to happen but every council member should realize a recent poll showed only 30% of citizens approve of the council and its work. 30%. >> that's not good. 60% -- 70%. >> tom, so what's the next step here? >> the next step is the board of elections will meet on wednesday and schedule a special election. probably will be in the middle of may. and it'll be an open primary. whoever runs and gets more than one vote than anyone else will be the next council member from ward 5 for almost three years. >> all right. >> wow. okay. >> you want to move on but they have to address taking this money from children. it was a terrible thing.

>> thanks, tom. >> thank you. well, up next, at bat, new hampshire. the primary is tomorrow. republican voters going to the poll. it is unusual for the same candidate to win both iowa and new hampshire but if the polls hold true, mitt romney is going to finish in first place tomorrow. nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd is in manchester. now before we talk about the gop race, some big changes in the personnel at the white house today. >> there are. what is interesting here with bill daley is he already had lost a lot of his responsibility a few months ago. they brought pete rouse back in. this was the gentleman that was the temporary chief of staff in between rahm emanuel and bill daley and at this point when bill daley went home for the holidays in chicago, he came back and said, you know, decided he'd rather be in chicago. he has more limited duties. they're not doing as much with congress. he's not playing a huge role in the campaign. and so he offered his resignation. they tried to talk him out of it

because the white house didn't want this public. it makes it look like it's a west wing. that is kind of in a little bit of turmoil particularly with the new book that's come out. so the timing stinks for them in their minds but daley seemed to insist on it since he was living temporarily in d.c. and wanted to go back to chicago. >> the big show of course is the republicans' side of politics right now. we have new hampshire coming up next tomorrow. how important is new hampshire in this campaign at this point and does it look like it's going to be romney? >> well, look. new hampshire is always important in some form or another and of course all of us here are still chastened by hillary clinton's upset by barack obama four years ago. every poll had obama up double digits and hillary clinton ends up winning so i think everybody knows new hampshire is quirky. you never know. that said, the battle is for second. there are things that could come out of here that could set the tone for south carolina.

there is the conservative sub primary of santorum and gingrich, which one of them comes out with a bigger chunk of vote. you got jon huntsman who is trying to find a rationale for his candidacy in a battle with ron paul over the independent voter here and huntsman of course needs to get -- finish in second to have a rationale to keep going or we might see the field winoed even more. i think that is basically the role new hampshire is playing this time. sort of a pregame on the way to south carolina. it's going to be nasty and give people a lot of flashbacks to bush/mccain 2000. >> my goodness. hasn't hunts hyph hasn't huntsman been living in new hampshire for a while? and still he is third. what does that say? >> he looks at santorum. rick santorum is doing the same thing. living, going county to county, door to door. he sort of gets a little bit of hope to him that maybe new hampshire voters will reward him for the hard work for the effort

but i've been to his rallies. he is getting a little more attention, a few more voters checking him out. we'll see. to me he lacked a little gut connection that a lot of politicians need to succeed. >> all right. chuck todd, thanks so much. we'll be looking for your analysis. still ahead, a popular d.c. store announces it is shutting down and there is no money to honor customer gift cards. what happens now as nbc investigates customer complaints? >> i'm in fairfax county. educators from across the region are gearing up to once again try to convince lawmakers to ditch the so-called kings dominion law which doesn't allow them to start school until after labor day. i'll tell you why they think momentum is growing coming up. and it's the best week of the year to try out a new restaurant. coming up, how you can take advantage of restaurant week at one of washington's best eateries. and we're staying on top of the snow that is falling across the washington area, including in warrenton, virginia.

and this just in. fauquier county public schools afternoon and evening, after school and evening activities rather, all canceled because of the snow. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] combine a pnc cashbuilder visa credit card with a pnc performance select checking account and get up to 1.75% cash back for just about every purchase. learn more and apply today at pnc.com/cashbuilder. pnc bank. for the achiever in you.

♪ sunny day ♪ i'm feelin', feelin' the taste i crave ♪ ♪ subway ♪ i'm makin' it, makin' it how i like ♪ ♪ it's meant to be ♪ i'm feelin' subway ♪ i'm feelin' subway today [ male announcer ] hey, capital area! are you feelin' subway®? then heat up your day with the big hot pastrami melt! it's fresh toasted and piled-high with pastrami, then topped with pickles, mustard, and cheese. head into a subway® restaurant today for this melty, mouthwatering sub! ♪ i'm feelin' subway ♪ let's go virginia's 2012 general

assembly session begins this weekend. northern virginia educators are getting ready to renew their fight to get rid of the so-called kings dominion law that states virginia school districts have to begin their school term after labor day. but as julie reports it seems there is growing momentum for change. julie carey? >> reporter: the law has been on the books since 1986 named for the kings dominion amusement park but supported by the entire tourism industry. the law's supporters say the later school start keeps teen workers on the job and keeps vacation crowds coming. school districts have tried and failed year after year to make a change but this year they say could be different. given the choice between riding the roller coasters or heading back to school most students would probably choose the rollercoaster and a later school start. but educators say the law that extends summer break to after labor day has got to go. state senator adam evan will sponsor one of the bills to give school districts the ability to set their own calendar. >> it's time we had educators

and school board members make education policy rather than amusement parks. we're one of only two states in the country that has laws prescribing when school can begin. >> reporter: educators say the post labor day start puts virginia high schoolers at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to preparation for national ap and ib exams. >> the ap and ib tests are set on a national calendar. we have nothing to say about that. and many of our kids are taking those tests, sometimes two to three weeks with two to three weeks less of instruction. >> reporter: on top of that 77 of the commonwealth's 132 school districts most in snowy parts of the state have weather waivers permitting them to bypass the law creating an uneven playing field even within virginia. virginia's hospitality and travel association is pushing hard to keep the law in place arguing that an earlier school start could mean nearly $300 million in lost tourism revenue. but educators say momentum for a change seems to suddenly have shifted their way.

governor bob mcdonald has just endorsed a repeal of the law as part of his education package. some parents support the change. >> if it's an educational issue where the quality of education is concerned i think they should have top priority over business. >> reporter: other parents are reluctant to shorten their summer time with their kids. >> i just like having them home to be able to do stuff they want to do, to have a little more time. you don't have enough time with them in the summer because they're very busy. >> reporter: now coming up on news 4 at 6 we'll hear from a local school superintendent about why the law change is so critical for his district. back to you now. >> all right. julie carey, thanks. we wonder if we'll have a snow day tomorrow. >> ooh. >> ooh. >> indeed. >> all i can say about this snow is thank goodness that we nailed this storm. this was one that we, i wish we could say it. i really do. this one caught a lot of us by surprise out there. when i say a lot of us we expected to see something as far as some snow, maybe some rain mixing with snow at times but not accumulation. that is exactly what we've seen out there.

as far as getting off tomorrow morning, sorry, kids. i don't think that's going to be the case. out there right now though look at that. the fields, those soccer fields next to the train tracks there and next to 395. all white with snow. we are seeing some accumulations. some areas picking up over an inch of snow so far and you're starting to send in some pictures. this was one of the pictures sent to me on my facebook page in centreville. this was a picture i did not expect to see. some kids actually making a few snowballs across the area. the kids not upset. how about this? over toward brookville, maryland, joe up there in brookville sent me this picture. thanks, joe, for sending that in. i appreciate it. going to continue to see snow throughout the next couple hours in some locations. you can see how this has all moved on through and is starting to move out now if you're to the west of 495 here, not seeing much in the way of the leesburg, your snow is stopping, warrantton finally stopping. wouldn't be surprised to see 1 or 2 inches around rarnton, gainsville, manassas, those areas hit hard ed to the and also portions of southern

maryland seeing good snow. you can see the back edge, most of loudoun county now clear. northern fauquier county clear. still seeing pretty good snow in through fairfax county down through portions of prince william county, stafford county and in through southern maryland. we're going to continue to see that. the heaviest rain right here in through stafford. stafford county and then right around prince william county right around quantico where some of the heaviest snow is and across the river in through charles county. you're all seeing moderate to heavy snow at this time. i also wouldn't be surprised to see some of the area roadways starting to slicken up a little bit. temperatures though have been above the freezing mark. for most of us. so that's helped with the roads. 34 degrees the current temperature out there with winds out of the south at 6 miles per hour. temperatures around the rest of the region, 34 in martinsburg. 32 in winchester. 32 in manassas. these could be some troubled areas. give yourself a lot of extra time this evening. i don't anticipate major problems on the roads but any problems are going to be big problems maybe for you. so just make sure you give yourself a little extra time as you head on out. that area of low pressure, that little sneaky low that made its

way a little further to the north is now moving out of here. tomorrow, nice weather begins to settle on in here. we see a great day on our tuesday but then i told you about a bigger storm and here it is. this is a big storm. this one is going to produce all rain no matter what. this one will produce all rain but is going to produce a lot of rain, maybe 1 to 2 inches of rain. as this moves out of here we are going to see nicer weather on thursday and another frontal boundary move in. this in arctic front. we'll see much colder air as we end the week and head into the weekend. so your forecast for the rest of the evening, snow ending. there will be some clearing late. 37 dropping down to 34 degrees. some areas though already around that temperature. and then tomorrow morning mostly clear. not too cold. 26 to 33. but remember, any wet roads will become icy overnight tonight. we could be seeing some problems on those roads. give yourself time tomorrow, too. mostly sunny. a nice day tomorrow. 49 to about 53 degrees. as we move on through the next four days we'll see a lot of

changes. tomorrow is nice and then we see rain late in the day on wednesday. wednesday afternoon right on through early thursday morning temperatures 46 on wednesday but then 37 for a high on friday as some arctic air moves in. the second real arctic blast that we've seen so far this winter. >> all right. but tomorrow this will be? >> this will all be a memory. i am a little worried about early tomorrow morning those roadways out there. just be careful. >> all right. thanks, doug. still to come, a new clue in the fight against high blood pressure and women doctors now have a look out for a new symptom to diagnose the condition. >> and a local store is shutting its doors leaving lots of folks with gift cards that could become worthless. liz crenshaw is here with the steps you can take to protect your card's value. apple's new home inside another store. the venture that could bring the technology giant closer to you.

there are big expectations for small cars at the detroit auto show. it's the auto industry's biggest show, 40 new models being unveiled. among them a reinvented version of the once popular dodge dart. chrysler is counting on the dart to help them sell more small cars. it is the first chrysler designed with italian auto maker fiat which bought a majority stake in chrysler back in 2009. apple stores are coming soon to your neighborhood.

target stores. according to apple insider apple is planning to open new store, in store locations at several targets. the locations will be in areas that aren't big enough to warrant the full fledged apple stores. best buy already has a similar setup in 600 stores where apple products are sold. insiders say apple plans to start with 25 target stores and then take things from there. and speaking of target, the megaretailer is hiring. the nation's second largest retailer is holding a job fair this week in bowie. the company is looking to hire 200 new workers for its new store opening in crofton. target executives are accepting resumes today and tomorrow and at the job fair and online. job interviews will be conducted wednesday and thursday. the new target is scheduled to open in march. coming up hostages rescued from a potentially deadly situation. today an officer who came to their rescue was honored and is

telling his story. i'm darcy spencer live in northwest washington. when a local camera chain declared bankruptcy, customers were told their gift cards were no good. i'm going to have the story coming up and some results on news 4 at 5. >> and it's a great week to dine out in d.c. we'll tell you where you can find the restaurant week deals coming up. i want a baby. a baby? but we were gonna see the northern lights in alaska. and go spelunking with the guys. yeah, i said it-- spelunking. [ whirring ] and i still haven't built one of those fighting robots. come on. it's pretty awesome. okay. just a few things we need to do first. [ laughs ] [ announcer ] before you make your leap, make a list. then get going in the completely redesigned cr-v.

all new, from honda. on my journey across america, i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

and welcome back everybody. i'm meteorologist doug cammer

right here in storm center 4. a little snowstorm coming across the area today. we thought we'd see some snow across the region but a lot of accumulation caught us by surprise this afternoon. you can see what's happening there on storm 4 doppler radar. the snow is ending. it is moving off toward the east. as it does so, we will continue to see those roadways become a little bit better. have not seen too many problems on the roads as of yet. just on the grass. that's where we're seeing the accumulation. the heaviest snow right now into eastern portions of fairfax county, prince william county, and also down into prince georges and charles county in through southern maryland. we'll continue to see snow right on through the region for about the next half an hour and all of this should be moving out of here over the next hour or so. temperatures will be hovering around the freezing mark so watch out and fake some precautions if you're thinking about getting in a car and heading around town this evening. once again take a little extra time. outside right now taking her own time, live in dupont circle jackie bensen. >> reporter: hello. we've watched the snow over the

last half hour go from just sort of rain to sort of fluffy again. we're almost at like magic. when you said it's stopping, it has started to lessen up. i describe this as being more of an umbrella snow. u can see a lot of people down here at dupont circle have their umbrellas up. that is about all you need to deal with it at this point certainly because it's not even sticking to the ground here. but i can tell you that the roads are slippery. you'll hear some emergency sirens behind me. i'm not sure what they're heading to but especially in the evening rush hour people want to be a little extra careful with the brakes and be safe on the way home. back to you. >> all right. jackie bensen, thanks. well, some customers were shocked when they learned they wouldn't be able to use their gift cards at penn camera because the company just announced it was going out of business. but following some feedback, penn camera is changing its tune. darcy spencer joins us live in northwest d.c. with this story. hi, wendy. we talked to one customer who has been saving up gift cards,

hundreds of dollars worth from christmas and birthday presents to buy an expensive item. when she went in to redeem the gift cards she was told they were worthless. we did some digging today and the company reversed course. marian is a children's photographer who has bought thousands of dollars in equipment from penn camera over the last couple years. she saved up $500 worth of gift cards to buy a new lens but when she went to the store to redeem them, she was told because penn camera had recently filed for bankruptcy the company is no longer honoring gift cards. >> for a small business owner, you know, to have been loyal to this company for so long and then be so excited to go in and redeem these, it's just disappointing. >> reporter: in a message to customers placed on the store counter penn camera says we are not able to accept gift cards and customers should seek reimbursement from their credit card companies through a

disputed charge. >> a lot of people go online but i've always liked the people that work there and felt i received good service there so i wanted to remain loyal to them and now i'm feeling like they're not being very loyal to me in return. >> reporter: penn camera filed for bankruptcy on january 4th after being in business for nearly 60 years. five of the chain's eight stores have closed, remaining inventory being sold for up to 30% off. many customers we spoke to were not aware that gift cards were not being honored. >> mine expired in december so when i wanted to reup it they said we're not doing that any more. >> late this afternoon penn camera reversed course. company officials now say they will honor gift cards after all. >> it was a wonderful move that they decided to honor these gift cards and now i can, if they decide to stay in business and reorganize we'll absolutely come back to penn camera. >> reporter: she e-mailed me a little later this afternoon. while she was glad her gift cards will be honored she says much of the stock is already

gone. and she probably won't be able to get the expensive lens she was saving for after all. reporting live from northwest washington, darcy spencer. back to you. >> that's complicated. you don't think about that. thanks. when a company like penn camera files for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection federal law allows the company to decide whether or not to honor gift cards. the federal trade commission says if you buy a gift card from a company that files for bankruptcy and it doesn't honor gift cards, consider a store competitor. it may accept the card with hopes of gaining new customers. even if the company in bankruptcy reorganization is not redeeming the gift cards now, check back later. it may start redeeming the cards at a later date. to find out how to protect your money when buying gift cards go to our website nbc washington.com and search gift cards. pharmaceutical company novartis is voluntarily recalling a number of popular over-the-counter medications.

esed rin, bufferin, no dose and gas-x are pulled because they may contain stray products from other products. bottles with expiration dates of 2014 or earlier are involved in the recall. novartis has suspended operations at the plant where the pills were made. there haven't been any reports so far of injuries associated with the recall. with childhood obesity on the rise chick-fil-a is now offering healthier options for children. today the chain restaurant introduced grilled chicken nuggets and an option to swap french fries for a fruit cup or apple sauce. the company is also limiting kid sized beverages to 1% milk, apple sauce, water, or lemonade. or apple juice rather. chick-fil-a says it wants to help parents find a balance with a quick, affordable option that is also healthy. d.c. restaurant week is under way. participating restaurants offer a three course meal for $20.12 for lunch and $35.12 for dinner. dozens of local eateries are

taking part but you better make a reservation quick. a lot of restaurants are already reporting they are booked for the week. restaurant weekends on sunday. and still ahead, three weeks and still no sign of a missing toddler from maine. coming up why police say they are convinced that this is a case of foul play. >> reporter: and the warning sign that doctors are now looking for to find women at high risk for blood pressure.

high salt diet, weight, age. they're all risk factors for high blood pressure. but when it comes to diagnosing the condition in women, there is a new question that doctors are asking. doreen gentzler is here with details. >> reporter: this was new to me. our health and fitness expo is coming up this weekend offering lots of free medical screenings. one of them is testing for hypertension. but if you're a woman who is being screened there is recently a new risk factor identified, a common condition that could double your chances of developing high blood pressure. >> my hands and my feet started to swell. again, i had shortness of breath. i couldn't really walk far. >> reporter: about three months before she was due to give birth, 29-year-old michelle fenwick developed pregnancy induced hypertension, a condition that put her at risk for major complications including premature delivery.

>> i was extremely scared. i didn't want anything to happen. i was close to the end. >> reporter: doctors say it's a common condition about 6% to 8% of all pregnant women will develop hypertension. typically it goes away once the baby is born. but now studies are showing that it's actually a risk factor for developing high blood pressure later in life. dr. susan bennett is a cardiologist with washington hospital center. >> over the next five to 15 years after that she has doubled the risk of developing hypertension. so it's a unique opportunity to identify a woman prior to the actual development of the disease to try to do some early interventions. >> dr. bennett says the new risk factor is a significant finding especially since things like high blood pressure and heart disease are still under diagnosed among women. it gives doctors a new way to figure out which women should make lifestyle changes early on to avoid developing hypertension later in life so things like

eating a low sodium diet and adding more exercise into their daily routine. >> and hopefully, that'll avoid a full blown case of hypertension that needs lots of medications. >> michelle fenwick's doctors help get her blood pressure under control and little baby camille was born just a few months ago. fenwick's blood pressure then naturally returned to normal. but now she'll be making sure she gets screened regularly. >> a lot of women don't know about it or they mistake it for something else. but it is very serious because it can cause, it can cause a lot of problems. >> good for her to learn early. michelle fenwick was an unusual case in some ways because she was born with a heart defect. doctors don't know whether her heart problems had anything to do with her developing hypertension during her pregnancy. you can get your blood pressure checked and undergo lots of different health screenings for free this weekend. that will happen at the nbc 4 health and fitness expo this saturday and sunday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the washington convention center. wendy and pat, we hope a lot of

people will come down there and join us and take advantage of the free tests available. >> that is one of the greatest things we do. and pat and i are going to be doing cooking demonstrations while we're there on saturday. >> i'll have to check it out. >> yes, healthy cooking. >> healthy eating. yes. >> sounds great. >> yeah. >> thanks, doreen. >> sure. still to come, a local police officer honored for his bravery during a tense hostage situation that captivated the country. >> coming up in sports. tebow mania lives to see another day. hakeem and trevor price are here to break down a wild round of the playoffs. i want a baby. a baby? but we were gonna see the northern lights in alaska. and go spelunking with the guys. yeah, i said it-- spelunking. [ whirring ] and i still haven't built one of those fighting robots. come on. it's pretty awesome. okay. just a few things we need to do first. [ laughs ] [ announcer ] before you make your leap, make a list.

then get going in the completely redesigned cr-v. all new, from honda.

it was a tense hostage situation that captivated the country. several discovery channel employees held by a gunman

inside company headquarters on september and september of 2010 in silver spring. today congress honored a montgomery county police officer for his role in stopping the situation. news 4's tracy wilkins was there. >> reporter: on september 1st, 2010, lives were saved inside of the discovery building in silver spring. there were a lot of people who contributed to the outcome of the day and today one of them was honored. >> i was amazed not by his bravery only but by his instincts and what he did. that reflects the character and quality of the individual but also the training of the institution here at montgomery county. >> reporter: officer edward peyton was off duty when a call came for a suicide bomber entering the discovery building. he says he quickly went back on duty and his instincts kicked in. >> being able to gain access to the building by some of the other disgruntled employees that recognized me and from there was able to get a tactical advantage coming up to the rear and seeing

the subject with his apparatus and gear and being able to relay that information. >> reporter: today the officer was presented the congressional badge of bravery, an award acknowledging his sacrifice and quick thinking. he credits that all to good training. >> stuff that we've been training for for different scenarios and just surprising enough something similar to this that our department had trained for a week prior. >> reporter: as the standoff stretched on for hours there were hundreds of armed law enforcement outside of discovery. but it was the man inside who narrated what was happening and eventually told sharp shooters who to aim for that changed the outcome of the day. >> you know, everybody worked as a team. i think that was the big word throughout the whole event. >> reporter: tracee wilkins, news 4. >> let's get a final check on our weather with the snow out there. how long is it going to last? >> it's almost over. most of northern virginia the

snow is out of here. most of maryland to the north and west of washington it's out of here. but southern maryland you're still under the gun for about an hour or so. let's look at some of the pictures across the area in washington, d.c. and that snow coming down pretty good throughout the afternoon in some locations. most areas seeing light to moderate snow around the region. just enough to make things look pretty out there. but so far, no reports of roads having any real problems as far as that is concerned. now let's take a look at a picture, actually noexville, virginia. yes this has been a little bit of a wacky winter. you know that. as a matter of fact, 63 degrees on friday. 68 on saturday. 52 yesterday. beautiful weather. today we saw a high of 40 and then we started to see the snow come in. because of that the temperatures have begun to go down. you can see where snow is right now making its way off toward the east. right now making its way really to the east of the potomac river in through southern maryland but still seeing pretty good snow around waldorf over toward calvert county over toward northern portions of st. mary's

county. you can see what i'm talking about there. even though it says it is snowing in waldorf that is still some rain around the andrews airforce base. wouldn't be surprised to see light to moderate snow in that area. we'll continue to see that over the next hour or so. now the temperature is key here and we're still above the freezing mark at the airport. some areas right around that freezing mark so give yourself a little extra time if you're heading out tonight just in case some of those roads become a little bit slick. you may need to give yourself extra time tomorrow morning too. but of course we will be here for you bright and early in the morning here at nbc 4 for any updates that need to be given. >> all right. thanks, doug. well, let's talk about the nfl playoffs. hey, guys. >> hello, pat and wendy. we are here to talk nfl playoffs and trevor my main man. >> here we go. >> i rarely make the right pick. i want to show everyone what we discussed thursday. >> so embarrassing. >> i think tim tebow.

>> no, no, sir. >> i'm picking the broncos. upset pick. >> i'm upset you picked them. you're going to be upset you pick them. hey. i have an evil twin brother. that was not me. to tebow i am very sorry i said that. you are my guy. i am back on the band wagon. i am not getting off. they're going to beat the patriots. >> they're going to beat the patriots. that is a pretty big prediction. let's go back to yesterday and look at the play in overtime. tim tebow hits dmar yus thomas for an 80-yard touchdown. i want to show you specifically the breakdown here. 11 steelers in the box. >> that is not a breakdown, a big-time mistake. that is not a great play but an average nfl play. at no point does any defense not have a safety in the middle of the field. obviously he went left and is supposed to go right. something is wrong. you do not put 11 people and a quarterback and a shotgun and he only gets two yards. that is a mistake and why today people in pittsburgh are defending taylor saying no he

did his job. they aren't going to hang the other kid out to dry. >> you're saying tim tebow will be able to replicate this against the patriots, who are 14-point favorites who the patriots beat -- they beat them 41-23 in the regular season. just crushed them. >> yes. let me tell you why. it's because the broncos have nothing to lose. >> okay. >> they're going to play with open hearts. there is something very liberating about having nothing to lose when you're playing as the patriots. the patriots have everything to lose. the broncos are going to come home as heroes regardless of what happens. they're going to play loose and fast and win by two. >> all right. let's talk about the giants/falcons game. giants defense was solid. two big fourth down stops and then knicks had a heck of a day 115 yards receiving two touchdowns. just put them on their back. >> at one point everybody thought the falcons were playing the best football in the nfl right now. that is somewhat true until they ran into the giants' defensive line. that defensive line harassed the quarterback and they got after it, after the run in ways they

never thought the giants could. so the giants played great defense. eli did what he was supposed to go. get the ball to knicks, get the vac to cruz, to those guys and then brandon jacobs i think had the biggest game. >> 19 yards rushing. >> i think he played the best. >> the question now is will the giants be able to beat the pack ners green bay? >> if they can put two more people in the field and play with 13, yes. other than that, no. >> not happening. >> that's not going to happen. >> all right. that's not going to happen. the saints, we talked to them about them against the lions, their rushing attack phenomenal in this game. three rushing touchdowns. brees also had three touchdowns. >> yep. the thing about the saints again is that three zones of offense. they have the guy that plays in the first zone. they have the guy that plays in the second zone. jimmy grant. they have two wide receivers that honestly are average receivers. not big players, andre johnson, not megatron. but when you have people that can play in the first two zones your receivers have one job. run as fast as you can. i'll throw you the ball. >> can the saints still be

successful against the 49ers' number one rushing defense in the nfl in the regular season? >> no they can't because those running players are going to become checked players. drew brees is going to drop back two steps. sprewell is going to run two steps and dump the ball. two yards become four yards same as a running play. i have the ravens closer than people think. >> lrmt. you have the ravens and you're picking the saints against the 49ers. >> what? what? what does that mean? >> i'm picking the saints against the 49ers. >> and you have giants against the packers? >> no. absolutely not. >> packers against the giants. >> yes. >> then tim tebow upsets the patriots. >> those are my picks. live and die by them. >> there you have it. >> you heard me. >> jumping on the tim tebow wagon. >> back on the wagon. >> back to you. >> thanks, guys. >> wow. we have disagreement there. >> right here. >> what are you talking about? >> you said baltimore closer than people think. >> closer than people think. >> but that means baltimore is going to lose. >> no, no. baltimore is going to win. but it's going to be closer than

people -- >> the game is going to be closer. there is going to be a fourth quarter game. >> say what you mean. >> i don't care. hey they better be careful. andre johnson. >> panot having a good day. >> i'm embarrassed on tv and i'm leaving. out of here. >> i think we got it straight now. let's take a look at news 4 at 6. >> coming up tonight k569 an islamic extremist has been arrested accused of plotting to attack sites around tampa, florida. metro inspecting hundreds of rail cars after a mechanical issue last week. we'll tell you what they're doing to prevent any new problems like that. and so this is awful. a woman on a bungee jump and the cord snaps. can you just imagine? >> oh, no. >> her feet were tied. she broke her collar bone. it was a river full of crocodiles. she still got out of there. it is an incredible story. and we want to meet her because that's some kind of woman. >> wow. >> and more coming up at 6:00.

>> i can't imagine doing it with the cord holding. >> that's one of the reasons why i haven't done it. i think it is an exciting thing to do but i know when i do it the cord is going to break. >> you'll be in the news. >> right. >> i hear you. >> i wouldn't survive because i don't have what she has. >> i hear you. >> have a sense of optimism. >> not on that. >> all right. after the break that search for the missing toddler enters a new phase. poli dinner's ready.

[ female announcer ] hamburger helper stroganoff. beefy. creamy. stroganoffy. helpers. forty dishes, all delicious. gives us the most nutritious of gifts. but only when they are ready to be given. that's why green giant picks vegetables at their peak. ...and freezes them fast, locking in nutrients

...for you to unwrap. ♪ ho, ho, ho. green giant

it's been more than three weeks now since a toddler in maine disappeared from her father's home. >> investigators still have no sign of ayla reynolds. nbc reports from waterville, maine with the latest. >> just trying to keep ayla's face out there. >> reporter: justin dipietro was front and center this weekend passing out flyers bearing his little girl's face hoping for a break in her disappearance. >> i'd like to have her face on every street corner in america. i'm going to go anywhere i need to. so right now the focus is here but once we're all done around here we'll go wherever it needs to go. >> reporter: but by sunday dipietro was back to a low profile, not talking to reporters. this after weeks of taking heat. >> what happens when daddy gets the baby? >> reporter: some from headline news host nancy grace. >> she's with the daddy. she goes missing. she's with the daddy last time. she gets a broken arm.

>> reporter: dipietro responded to grace on friday telling maine's "morning sentinel" nancy grace, please come see me. do you want to spend a day with me? do you want to see what i'm going through? do you want to see the ins and outs of it? i invite you to. dipietro says he put 20-month-old ayla reynolds to bed at his home on december 16th and that the next morning she was gone. the toddler was in her father's care while her mother trista reynolds was in drug and alcohol rehab. when her daughter first disappeared, reynolds questioned dipietro's parenting skills. >> since she's been there she's had a broken arm. she has ended up missing. >> reporter: the little girl's arm was in a soft sling when she disappeared. police said the injury was accidental. over the weekend dipietro told "the morning sentinel" how the injury happened saying he was carrying a bag of groceries in one arm and holding ayla in the other when he slipped and fell on top of his daughter. now justin dipietro says he is doing all he can as the search enters week four. police say it's still a missing

persons case even though they suspect foul play. a mystery still waiting to be solved. and that is it for news 4 at 5. >> news 4 at 6 starts right now. a teenager shot at bus stop and left for dead. authorities say the victim was killed for his nike sneakers. >> mayor gray speaking out for the first time since former d.c. council member harry thomas jr. was convicted of embezzling city fund intended for kids. >> tonight the final push for voters in new hampshire. can mitt romney hold his lead before tomorrow's republican primary there? >> good evening. >> i'm doreen gentzler. our top story a blast of winter weather across our region. light snow has been falling for hours and it's just now starting to taper off. we have team coverage of the conditions out there. we begin with chief meteorologist doug kammerer to tell usha